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POSTGAME 5: Flyers second period surge not enough as they fall to Oilers

by
Staff Writer
/ Philadelphia Flyers

Despite being outshot 19-2 in the first period and 49-22 on the game, the Flyers rebounded from an Edmonton goal with three seconds left in the first period to take a 2-1 lead after two periods. But the Oilers scored twice in quick succession in the third, and ended up with a 4-2 win. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked up the initial tally on a power play for the first intermission lead. The Flyers then came out with four shots in the first 34 seconds of the second period, the fourth of which, from Scott Laughton, went in. Then with 7:01 left in the frame, Ryan White scored his first goal of the year to make it a 2-1 Flyers lead at the second intermission. The Oilers’ third-period daggers came from Matt Hendricks at 6:13 and Taylor Hall at 7:40, and Nugent-Hopkins later added an empty-netter. Michal Neuvirth was outstanding in defeat, making 45 saves, while Anders Nilsson stopped 20 to take the win.

The Oilers third goal that just trickled through Michal Neuvirth and past the goal line was the turning point on the night which gave the Oilers the victory… With the Flyers leading Edmonton, 2-1, in the third period, the Oilers stole momentum on a rebound goal by Matt Hendricks… Edmonton followed that up 1:27 later as Taylor Hall was able to slide a shot through traffic in front and just out of reach of Neuvirth… The quick strikes immediately turned the game in favor of Edmonton, who would add an empty-netter to seal the win.

1ST - Taylor Hall: Posted a three-point night with two assists and the game-winning goal to give him points in six straight games for a total of 12 points (4g-8a) in that span.

2ND - Matt Hendricks: In his return to the Oilers lineup from injury, he scored the game-tying goal in the third period and finished the game with a +1 rating, five shots on goal and seven hits.

3RD - Michal Neuvirth: Faced 48 shots on net, stopped 45 to take the loss… Neuvirth also stopped 35 of the Oilers 36 shots through the first two periods to preserve a 2-1 Flyers lead after 40 minutes.

The 49 shots allowed by the Flyers were the most they’ve given up in a game since December 28, 2010 when they allowed 49 in a 6-2 loss at Vancouver… Michal Neuvirth made 45 saves, marking just the fifth time in his 174-game NHL career that he’s made that many saves in a game… The last time Neuvirth faced Edmonton on November 7, 2014 with Buffalo, he made 49 saves in a 3-2 loss… In the four games Neuvirth has played start-to-finish this season, he is 2-2 with a 1.52 GAA and a .959 save percentage - both of his wins have been shutouts… Radko Gudas recorded an assist in tonight’s game - The Flyers defense has now recorded a point in seven consecutive games, posting nine assists and 12 points in that span.

“When this team’s confident, we’re winning battles and making good plays from there. Right now we’re winning battles and almost handing it right back to them, and we’re in our own zone again. We’ve got to find a way to get it together here and figure out what we need to do better, calm down and just get back to playing hockey. I thought we took another good step tonight, but we’re just not there yet.” (Ryan White)

“The first period they put a lot of pucks to the net, and we didn’t have a lot of pushback. A lot of those were from good spots, and there were also a lot thrown at the net from different parts of the ice. We’ve just got to do a better job to cut down the number of shots against and spend less time in our zone.” (Dave Hakstol)